Thursday, November 15, 2012

It's been said that kicking and punting are 80%
mental. Along those lines, in part 8.1 we gathered feedback from some punters who've
also spent the last few years immersed in academia. We continue with a few more responses from members of this
year's senior class from FBS colleges around the nation who weighed in on
the
following question:

"What's the most important thing you've learned during your college
career regarding dealing with pressure and the mental aspects of
punting?"

Kyle Dugandzic, Arizona

"You have to treat every kick the same, no matter
the situation. You can't give more or less value to every kick. What's
worked with me is maintaining the same mentality on every kick and
focusing on my technique. That way you're confident in your ability and
trust yourself that you're going to get the job done."

Gerald Levano, Boston College

"The main thing is being
confident in yourself. You don't necessarily have to block out all the
external factors or pressures, but rather you can use them to help you.
For example with me, a packed stadium gets me pretty pumped. As long as I
make sure I don't rush the fundamentals I believe I actually perform
better. Being confident and under control is a good way to summarize it
for me. The biggest thing I learned personally would be that everything
in the game happens faster than in practice. Being able to slow yourself
down and hit a good ball makes all the difference for me."

Ryan Neir, Northern Illinois

"Block out all the distractions such as fans, teammates, opponents,
weather, etc. and focus on my technique. When all the distractions are
eliminated, it allows me to perform to the best of my ability. I think a
lot of kickers and punters 'over-think' due to pressure. Instead, I tell
myself 'just hit your ball'. My advice is don't try to do too much,
block out the distractions, and focus on your technique."

Bobby Cowan, Idaho

"Stay calm and trust your ability. Have the confidence in yourself to
know that you will get the job done in pressure situations. It comes
down to technique and the things that you have practiced over and over
again. Do these things and pressure becomes a much easier thing to deal
with."

Jamie Boyle, Central Florida

"The biggest hurdle you have to get over as a kicker or punter is the
mental aspect of it. Being able to deal with the pressures of kicking,
and still have success is what it's all about. One thing I have learned
is that you have to be able to perform in front of your coaches, as well
as on game day. You can be the best practice player of all time, but at
the end of the day, your results on game-day dictate how you will be
remembered. Like all things that are hard to master, kicking under
pressure comes from experience and practice. You have to put yourself in
uncomfortable positions sometimes in order to grow as a punter."

Dylan Breeding, Arkansas"As far as dealing with pressure, it is important to realize that
everything must stay the same. What I mean is that a punter practices
exactly what they will need to do in a game all week during practice, so
when he gets in the game he must treat it as any normal day. Nothing
should change on game day. This will give him confidence heading into
game day that he is able to step in and perform under pressure by being
consistent. Also, a punter should also do their best to just embrace the
pressure as a challenge. Many people see pressure situations as not a
good thing, but really pressure situations are just opportunities to
perform exceptionally well and to be a game-changer. There is no other
play in football that can be as big of a momentum shifter as a punt, so
to know that just by doing your position well that it can really help
the team. Mentally, a punter should be as methodical and consistent as
possible, this way they always have a mindset that is focused both in
practice and in games. This allows for you to not get too excited when
punting well or too down when you are having an off day. After a bad
punt, it is vital to remember that just because you did not perform well
on one play does not mean that all of your God-given talents are gone.
This should allow you to run back out on the field knowing that you have
another chance to make a positive difference for your team. After all,
you are the best on the team at what you do, so go out there and prove
it. Also, punters should not think about technique during the game. This
is what gets many punters thinking too much which adds unneeded
pressure. Just trust in the technique that you worked on during the week
and allow the game to be a showcase of what you have been practicing."